Briana&Elliot&

Libr&2040&Case&Study&Response&
Homework&#1&
&
&
I&found&the&case&study&presented&by&Francis&Kelley&very&intriguing&for&a&
number&of&reasons.&First,&the&situation&seemed&very&relatable&and&realistic,&as&it&
eased&a&naturally&empathetic&response&from&me.&As&a&Library&and&Information&
Science&Masters&student&who&will&undoubtedly&be&facing&many&future&challenges&of&
positively&meeting&the&needs&of&library&patrons&from&diverse&communities,&the&
situation&presented&was&intriguing.&The&situation&is&clear:&a&language&barrier&(and/or&
cultural&difference)&prevented&successful&communication&and&understanding&
between&a&non0English&speaker&patron&and&a&not0trained0for0serving0a0diverse0
community&library&staff&member;&a&simple&and&easily&fulfilled&request&for&acquiring&a&
library&card&application&was&ushered&into&the&realm&of&unfulfilled&library&needs&for&a&
time&(until&the&misunderstanding&was&resolved&by&a&child),&because&a&foundation&for&
dealing&with&everyday&diversity&challenges&did&not&exist.&&
With&dedication&towards&making&library&services&and&materials&equally&
accessible&to&its&patrons,&a&library&in&this&situation&must&come&together&to&
strategically&plan&future&preparations&for&facing&challenges.&Such&challenges&may&
include&language&barriers&impeded&true&communication,&and&cultural&differences&
with&information0seeking&behaviors.&Both&are&likely&scenarios&when&serving&a&
diverse&community.&Kelleys&situation&incited&my&social0justice&and&equal0access&part&
of&me,&to&really&ponder&over&critical,&and&crucial,&suggestions&that&I&would&pose&to&the&
library&staff&and&their&administration&involved.&&First,&the&planning.&Disher&(2010)&
poignantly&states&that&the&strategic&plan&helps&us&to&create&the&future&(63),&as&such&

a&plan&projects&our&desired&future&and&provides&a&road&map&to&all&within&the&
organization&the&means&by&which&the&organization&intends&to&reach&its&desired&goals&
(63).&&A&strategic&plan&that&would&be&most&beneficial,&and&most&likely&to&succeed&here,&
should&be&direct&and&simple,&mapping&out&attainably&smaller&goals&that&would&have&a&
faster&impact&on&the&diverse&community&in&which&Kelleys&library&staff&are&striving&to&
serve.&&
As& Evans& && Ward& (2007)& quote& Kaplan& and& Norton,& an& important& warning&
should&be&heeded:&&
Strategic&dreams&often&turn&into&nightmares&if&companies&start&engaging&in&extensive&
and& distracting& restructuring.& Its& far& more& effective& to& choose& a& design& that& works&
reasonably&well,&rather&than&develop&a&strategic&system&to&tune&the&structure&to&the&
strategy&(160).&

!
Massive&reconstruction&or&re0envisioning&of&a&library&and&its&collections&and&services&
in&the&face&of&diversity&would&only&distract,&and&ultimately&impede,&in&successfully&
meeting&the&diverse&needs&of&its&patrons;&smaller&goals,&such&as&new&staff&
recruitment,&staff&diversity&trainings,&new&reliance&on&displays&for&non0verbal&
communication,&as&well&as&building&up&diversity/multicultural&collections,&all&could&
be&conceivably&straight0forward&goals&(Evans&&&Ward,&2007).&Furthermore,&Disher&
(2010)&extends&that&the&librarys&environment&scan&should&have&identified&the&
issues&and&trends&that&have&important&implications&for&our&future&success&as&a&public&
organization[as]&[i]t&also&analyzes&and&prioritizes&them&(64).&Each&individual&
library&must&decide&what&goals&and&strategies&should&take&priority;&which&strategies&
will&be&most&effective&given&the&space&and&materials&that&already∃&and,&which&

strategic&plans&and&goals&are&most&likely&to&succeed&and&produce&skills&and&tools&that&
will&aide&in&facing&diversity&quickly&and&directly.!
The&main&task&of&the&librarys&leadership&(whether&that&be&the&library&branch&
manager&or&the&higher0ups&in&the&administration,&or&both)&should&be&to&determine&
what&direct&library&services&should&take&priority,&as&Disher&(2010)&notes&that&
[p]rioritizing&the&services,&then,&becomes&critical&to&determining&which&will&get&
funded&first&(p.&46).&Budgeting,&as&a&necessary&consideration&for&any&person&in&a&
leadership&position,&goes&hand0in0hand&with&planning&new&services&in&the&hopes&of&
meeting&the&larger&needs&of&a&changing&and&growing&population&of&patrons.&&
&

Potential&services&that&I&would&personally&suggest&for&any&library&facing&

diversity&challenges&are&proposed&in&the&following.&First,&the&recruitment&of&diverse&
staff&would&definitely&aide&in&the&challenge&posed&by&existing&language&barriers&
and/or&cultural&differences&existing&between&patrons&and&staff&members.&However,&
Evans&&&Ward&(2007)&warn&that&[i]t&takes&time&to&achieve&diversity&goals,&and&
tokenism&is&a&risk&(68).&The&term&tokenism&here&is&used&to&identify&and&signify&
recruitment&of&new&staff&members&based&on&their&minority&standing&(i.e.&potentially&
non0white&representatives&with&the&benefit&of&multi0lingual&skills).&Such&recruitment&
and&hiring&could&have&dual&outcomes;&it&could&promote&reaching&and&fulfilling&the&
needs&of&a&diverse&community&of&library&patrons,&while&at&the&same&time&potentially&
isolating&the&new&member(s)&from&the&existing&staff&(Evans&and&Ward,&2007,&p.68).&
Evans&and&Ward&(2007)&highlight&that&[s]ometimes&staff&members&from&minority&
groups&do&not&find&the&organizational&climate&hospitable.&Conversely,&they&may&be&
highly&sought&after&in&the&labor&marketplace&(68).!

&
Training&the&staff&in&meeting&the&needs&of&a&diverse&community,&and&meeting&
the&demands&of&acquiring&a&culturally&competent&skill0set,&should&also&be&an&
important&diversity&goal&to&attain&for&this&(and&other)&libraries.&I&would&suggest&an&
initial&training&session,&as&well&as&more&routine&and&comprehensive&follow0up&
trainings&that&would&ideally&take&place&on&a&regular&basis,&so&all&staff&members&can&
continuously&challenge&themselves&with&new&or&returning&diversity&issues&in&a&safe&
and&constructive&environment&that&a&training&session&could&provide.&Disher&(2010)&
concurs&with&this,&as&he&states&that,&[r]egular&training&programs&help&ensure&that&
existing&staffboth&paid&and&volunteerare&receptive&to&cultural&diversity&For&
newcomers&from&minority&groups,&there&should&be&an&in0service&program&designed&
to&meet&their&needs&(69).!
&

In&addition&to&trainings,&I&believe&it&should&also&be&a&priority&to&take&full&

advantage&of&different&types&of&communication,&such&as&verbal&and&non0verbal&or&
written&forms,&that&can&be&utilized&in&the&immediate&situation&of&diversity&challenges&
in&a&library&setting&(Evans&&&Ward,&2007,&p.&257).&&Non0verbal&communication&can&be&
an&excellent&way&to&prevent&misunderstandings&due&to&a&language&barrier&or&cultural&
difference,&if&it&can&be&properly&translated&by&trained&staff&members,&or&by&the&use&of&
an&electronic&or&online&translation&system.&Evans&&&Ward&(2007)&supports&this&idea,&
as&stated:&!
Exhibitions&and&displays&are&effective&ways&to&create&awareness&of&the&range&
of&resources&available&to&users.&They&make&a&visual&statement&about&the&scope&
of&the&collection,&drawing&attention&to&its&multicultural&nature&and&providing&
a&talking&point&between&users&and&staff.&Displays&also&can&draw&community&
groups&into&the&archives&or&library.&Offering&a&display&facility&in&a&public&place&
brings&out&community&pride,&provides&information&to&the&community&at&large,&
and&increases&the&awareness&of&available&services&(75).&

!
Lastly,&alongside&tackling&face0to0face&patron&interaction&challenges&with&the&
suggestions&above,&I&propose&that&the&library&must&invest&in&building&up&their&own&
multicultural&and&diversity&collections,&to&better&serve&the&patrons&interests&and&
library&needs&within&the&multicultural&community&in&which&they&reside.&Evans&&&
Ward&(2007)&discuss&this&topic&in&the&following.&
The&process&of&making&changes&to&a&collections&policy&can&be&met&with&a&
reaction&from&those&who&have&been&well&served&by&the&former&policy,&since&
changing&directions&is&not&always&accompanied&by&an&injection&of&additional&
funding.&Providing&an&enhanced&service&to&one&group&may&mean&a&reduction&
in&that&provided&to&another&group&(73).&
&
To&conclude,&there&is&no&denying&that&a&steady&influx&of&people&from&diverse&
cultural&and&linguistic&backgrounds&is&a&reality&for&so&many&libraries&nationwide.&
Meeting&the&needs&of&diverse&communities&can&be&a&huge&and&pressing&matter&facing&
all&LIS&professionals&today,&but&with&strategic&plans&that&aim&to&hire&a&diverse&staff&
team,&empower&its&staff&through&continual&diversity&training,&build&up&its&diversity&
collection,&and&utilize&non0verbal&communication&through&the&use&of&displays&and&
exhibitions,&a&future&of&positive&communication&and&meeting&the&needs&of&diverse&
communities&can&be&attained,&and&celebrated.&